Humous

Hummus is a tasty and healthy dip made of pureed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It has been adopted from Middle Eastern cuisine, and is most commonly served with toasted pita bread and crudités. It often appears amongst the dips as part of a meze.

Recipe
Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of cold water and the soda. The next day, drain and place in a saucepan with enough fresh cold water to cover them, and simmer for around 1 hour until they have softened.
Drain and keep ½ cup of the liquid. Place the chickpeas in the blender, together with the garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice, and blend until the mixture is smooth.
Dilute the tahini in 1/4 cup of warm liquid (from the chickpeas) and add to the mixture, blending all the time. If the mixture seems too dry, add a tablespoon of liquid at a time until it reaches a nice consistency. Serve hummus drizzled with a little olive oil